This was the second old cutter quilt ornament I found at an antique mall, it started the collection.

Old Quilt Bird Ornaments

I didn't mean to start a collection of old cutter quilt bird ornaments. I picked one up several years ago at an antique mall, thinking I could use it as inspiration to make some to sell once I found old cutter quilts to use. I was still working then, so these projects would pop into my head and take a back seat to life and all of its associated interruptions.

When I spotted a second one that was blue, I picked that one up to represent my custom quilt and gift company, Bluebird Gardens. I thought it could sit as a tree topper in one of my outlet mall booths but it never quite made it there. In the back of my mind, I really didn't want to sell it.

I was excited to find this bluebird old cutter quilt bird ornament to represent Bluebird Gardens.

By the time I added a third old cutter quilt bird ornament to my inspiration box, I had to admit I now had a "collection." Not exactly something to brag about but then it only took three french hens to make it into a traditional Christmas song....

It was now time to give these three old cutter quilt birds their own little tradition, real time in a Christmas tree.

This was the first old cutter quilt bird ornament I found; I picked it up as inspiration to make more.

My one-acre Missouri hillside garden is a certified wildlife habitat, which means I feed wildlife all year as well as provide water and shelter. So apparently does Santa!

Birdhouses and bird feeders are everywhere, well-occupied and attended so having birds on my Christmas tree seemed like an extension of what I watch happening outside my windows every day.

I put up my first Christmas tree in years this year, a little 4-foot artificial tree that I placed in a front window so I could see it from the outside. Had to move it over to get it out of the path of my cats also watching the birds - my cats take their supervisory duties very seriously!

After moving the tree and as I found ornaments to decorate the tree, I remembered having the three old cutter quilt birds. Yes, I actually had four but I only remembered the first three.

This is my other old cutter quilt bird ornament, love the cross stitch, my first embroidery stitch.

My last old cutter quilt bird ornament was made out of an old cross stitch embroidered quilt. I learned to embroider when I was 7 years old doing a cross stitch table cloth so I have a warm spot in my heart for that simple embroidery design. This bird ornament is a little different shape than the others, which only gives it more charm.

These birds are 4 inches high, between 5 and 6 inches long. The pattern looks simple enough to copy so if you want to make some, cut one out and don't be too perfect, part of their charm is that they are all a little different.

If you don't have old cutter quilts, how about checking into your leftover fabric stash? Bet you have enough remnants in there to make some of these bird ornaments.